In the search for materials to build more fuel-efficient

automobiles, lightweight yet robust plastic materials are

of great interest. Glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic

polyurethane (TPU) is such a compound material. It can

be used for a range of applications where greater structural

integrity is required, such as in automotive body side

moldings and other automotive components.

Of course, the amount of glass fiber in the processing

mixture affects the integrity and quality of the final product.

That means variation among batches of raw materials can

lead to a high rejection rates of manufactured product,

which is especially expensive when injection molding large

parts or processing on large extruders. So it’s important

to understand the quality of batches of raw materials,

such as TPU, early in the process.